Cold feet....

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I'm scared, yes, but I'm committed to becoming the best doctor I can be, and that's really keeping me going. Had my Pre-Med Advisor interview today, and it went great - talk about a boost of confidence!

Cerberus, just keep reminding yourself WHY you want to do what you're doing - see the big picture! - WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS!!!! 👍

-DD
 
Cerberus said:
Anyone else start getting cold feet around applications time? I am really starting to doubt whether I am ready for this....
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With all the running around that you will be doing correcting AMCAS screwups, they will get pleeeenty warm 😉
 
Relax. This is the fun part! Travelling to many different places, talking to students, checking out campuses. After finals, nothing major can be done to help your app. Time to just relax and enjoy the ride.

Kind of like that split second after you jump for a skydive.

If they're not going to accept you, make them tell you no. Don't give up on yourself!
 
I would say the most stressful part of the process is interviewing. Going to many places can be fun but it can also get tiring especially if you have to fly on a plane every week. Other than that the process is cool. Oh and the waiting post interview is pretty bad especially if you don't have any acceptances yet.
 
It's not the interviewing/worrying about getting accepted part...its the fact that I dont know if I am ready to go to medschool. I just dont know if thats what I want right now...as you can see, that might be a problem..
 
I've read many of your posts Cerb, you seem pretty upbeat most of the time - it seems kind of sudden! What's up?
 
UseUrHeadFred said:
I've read many of your posts Cerb, you seem pretty upbeat most of the time - it seems kind of sudden! What's up?
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I am upbeat, just worn down by school I guess and a little worried of committing so much time to this when i may end up hating it.
 
I'm getting nervous, but just because I am so busy from now until June 1 and I haven't started my personal statement. I know it will all work out, but it is nervewracking for the time being!
 
i am totally freaked
what if i am not good enought?
 
dude first of all we have to relax and take it one step at a time. Right now I'm working on my autobio for my pre-med committee. Next step is the personal statement. what does this entail by the way?
 
AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
😱 😱 😱 😱 😱 😱 😱 😱
 
Cerb:

In Zen, they traditionally say three things are necessary for training:

Great Faith
Great Doubt
Great Effort

What does this mean for you? I don't know. I hope it helps.
 
If I am reading you right Cerberus, I think I am in about the same boat - well, similar I guess. It's not that I am worried about med school being too hard . . I am pretty sure I can handle it just fine if I want to. I guess the question is: do I want to? Being a doc sounds pretty great . . . right now. But we will not be docs right now, we will be out of residency in 8-10 years. Will I still be excited about it then? It will be pretty bogus to see all of your friends whizzing by with their cool jobs and time off, whilst we are still accumulating debt and studying. It basically seems to me like a no-turning-back point right now, because I don't want to spend a year or more of tuition and then wish I didn't do it.

I went to my fiancee's FP with her and he basically was like "DON'T DO IT .. no seriously though, I'm not trying to talk you out of it or anything.. I'm just not sure if I would do it again if I had the chance."

But anyway . . enough negatives. . I decided that although there are cool jobs out there that I am qualified for already, there's still nothing I'd rather do. It is a big time investment, but I have to keep reminding myself that it's not all about my job 10 years from now. Enjoy the voyage and all that . . I'll cut it off there - I'm not sure if I'm making sense - boy it's late. I'm gonna stay the course.

Sorry for the speech and a half,
Sean
 
Sean2tall said:
If I am reading you right Cerberus, I think I am in about the same boat - well, similar I guess. It's not that I am worried about med school being too hard . . I am pretty sure I can handle it just fine if I want to. I guess the question is: do I want to? Being a doc sounds pretty great . . . right now. But we will not be docs right now, we will be out of residency in 8-10 years. Will I still be excited about it then? It will be pretty bogus to see all of your friends whizzing by with their cool jobs and time off, whilst we are still accumulating debt and studying. It basically seems to me like a no-turning-back point right now, because I don't want to spend a year or more of tuition and then wish I didn't do it.

I went to my fiancee's FP with her and he basically was like "DON'T DO IT .. no seriously though, I'm not trying to talk you out of it or anything.. I'm just not sure if I would do it again if I had the chance."

But anyway . . enough negatives. . I decided that although there are cool jobs out there that I am qualified for already, there's still nothing I'd rather do. It is a big time investment, but I have to keep reminding myself that it's not all about my job 10 years from now. Enjoy the voyage and all that . . I'll cut it off there - I'm not sure if I'm making sense - boy it's late. I'm gonna stay the course.

Sorry for the speech and a half,
Sean
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Yup, thats more or less it. I know that I want to be a doc eventually (well actually i'd rather fly really fast planes...damned eyesight) i just dont know that I am ready to spend my prime in a library studying minutia.
 
Cerberus said:
Yup, thats more or less it. I know that I want to be a doc eventually (well actually i'd rather fly really fast planes...damned eyesight) i just dont know that I am ready to spend my prime in a library studying minutia.
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Righto .. that's actually what this FP doc said .. that you will be basically spending your whole prime in a school set-up. Eh . .
 
Cold feet before applications? It's still new and exciting yet. Wait until the summer before school actually starts... very, very scary. :scared:
 
TheFlash said:
Cold feet before applications? It's still new and exciting yet. Wait until the summer before school actually starts... very, very scary. :scared:
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I feel the same. I remember all the advices/comments I heard from College seniors when I was a freshman. At that time none of them seem important to me, but now I realize they are all so true.

Now it's sorta a deja vu when I hear med students getting jaded, complaining about the immaturity of their classmates, and regretting for not choosing something else...
 
UseUrHeadFred said:
Cerb:

In Zen, they traditionally say three things are necessary for training:

Great Faith
Great Doubt
Great Effort

What does this mean for you? I don't know. I hope it helps.
Click to expand...

Faith = GPA
Doubt = letters of rec
Effort = Mcat score

That is Zen.
 
I'd have to agree with UseURHeadFred...

Frankly, I'd prefer to spend the prime of my life "studying minutia" then out in the real world. Especially when that minutia is really cool stuff! (I know it'll get dull memorizing biochemical pathways...but you have to admit its amazing how our bodies evolved to do these things!) Maybe its because none of my friends are earning the big bucks or starting families yet that I'm fine with spending the prime of my life doing it. Or maybe its because I'm a big dork who is quite happy spending time in school.
 
I too am a little nervous about medical school...for the longest time all I thought about was how I wanted to be a doctor...but then it hit me that I will be in school for quite a number of years before I actually get to do what I want to do! At that point I thought..."self, you are REALLY going to hate being a doctor if you hate the process of BECOMING a doctor! take every day whether it is studying biochem or in the clinics as an exciting day on the road to doing what you have always wanted to do!" this has cleaned up my attitude a lot! I am still nervous about the process but I am not dreading the process like I used to. I don't know and I don't have the answer but I do know that I am looking forward to school AND residency because I know that if I don't look forward to it and just dread it and hate it...then I am going to wake up someday resenting that I ever started this process!
Good luck!
 
One thing I found useful in helping me find out whether I really wanted to be a doc or not....... go to your local bookstore, and pick up a study guide for the USMLE. Browse thru the material, and see if its something that you think you would enjoy studying.

I started off with like *yuck*, but by the time I had finished leafing through the book, I was like this is pretty cool stuff.
 
Anyone else having cold feet after being accepted? I'm scared now. 🙁
 
twinklz said:
I'd have to agree with UseURHeadFred...

Frankly, I'd prefer to spend the prime of my life "studying minutia" then out in the real world. Especially when that minutia is really cool stuff! (I know it'll get dull memorizing biochemical pathways...but you have to admit its amazing how our bodies evolved to do these things!) Maybe its because none of my friends are earning the big bucks or starting families yet that I'm fine with spending the prime of my life doing it. Or maybe its because I'm a big dork who is quite happy spending time in school.
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I wholly expect to hate first and second years. I don't care much for science classes and from what I hear the sheer intensity of medical schooll sciences is enough to make people who love science want to take a long walk off a short bridge. Also, call me cynical but I feel that most of your opinions will probably change once you actuallt get there. I base this off the med students I know who went in all gung-ho "i love this stuff" and now hate life.
 
I think its important to know whether or not you really want to go through with it. Thats a personal matter that everyone has to resolve for themselves. Gut check/reality check time. You gotta know, its not just about applying and getting in. Its about knowing whether you want to go, and whether you're going to handle it and make it through.

So many of us go through high school, college, postbacc etc. just with the single goal of getting into a med school. The motivation in hs was to get into a good college. Motivation in college was all about getting a good gpa, getting good preparation for the mcat, and experiences to help build a medschool portfolio or resume. That my friends was nothing short of a rat race. But we all did it with the motivation of "if i can just get in somewhere" or "once i get in, i can breath easy".

It doesn't end there. I've talked to countless M1's or M2's that hate it, or think it was the wrong decision. A good number don't make it. Their whole life was about getting in. What then? The dream has to be bigger than just getting in. You have to really want it, because you need something to motivate you to get through the 4 years and the resideny. $ isn't enough to do it, maybe the respect is, but it definitely boils down to the cheesy stuff, like the self-respect, the prospect of doing something you love, or being able to help people and saving lives. Whatever it is that makes you want to be a doctor, you gotta figure it out and know for sure, cause thats the only thing that can help you get through it.
 
To all of you who are starting the process with doubts:
I would suggest writing your personal statements soon, if you haven't already. I always knew I wanted to go to med school, but after I finished my personal statement I thought to myself "duuuuude I REALLY want to go to med school." Since most of the time your personal statment is why you want to be a doctor it should be really helpful in reminding you why you have choosen such a hard path . . . if you are still having doubts after that you might want to do some serious soul searching. That said, don't make any rash decisions, we all have our ups and downs. In a week or two your attitude may be totally different. Good Luck and keep the faith!
 
I went into the process with big doubts. I had been totally gung-ho doing post-bac and then my last semester the MCAT, my volunteering, realizing how much longer I had in school to go, and some other stuff just began to make me question whether I really wanted to do this. Everyone in my life encouraged me to just apply, since I had such enthusiasm in the past, and that I could always withdraw later in the cycle. I had serious doubts when I wrote my personal statement, when I did secondaries. But I guess I did a great job on them since I got compliments on them at interviews. I had a couple of back-up plans on the backburner and seriously considered pulling my apps at several times. I never thought I'd get over the doubts, especially in this insane process. But... I really did. The more I got into this deeper and deeper, and had to examine and re-examine why I wanted to do this, and to defned it in interviews and to people around me, I realized that I do want it. I do want to be a doctor and I cannot really see myself doing something else. I realized the back-up plans were fine careers, but that for me they were back-up plans and not what I wanted. So my advice to anyone with cold feet is the same advice I got... go for it, and this process will really force you to sort out if you want this or not. Feel free to pm me if you want to discuss this further. Good luck 🙂
 
Sometimes I think I just worry for no good reason.

I am really excited for the studying in med school, so I am not really worried about that. I absolutely love the material, one of the big reasons I decided to go to med school, and I think I am kinda a nerd and enjoy studying.

But this is kinda the basis for my worrying. I am not one of those people who wanted to be a doctor all of my life. I am not passionate about cutting people up, performing procedures on them, etc. I do love interacting with people. I am very intrigued by mental illness and my love for the treatment of mental illness combined with my passion for the knowledge is what drove me to go to medical school. But I am not sure that I want to go into Psychiatry any more.

I am really excited for the clinical years for the chance to interact with many different types of people from the community. I am excited to be someone that they trust and someone that may be able to send them home healthier than when they came. The thing is, I am not so passionate about intubating, starting IVs, cutting people up, etc. I am interested to learn all of this and I think it will be awesome skills to be able to do, but I am not sure I will want to do procedural things every day for a career.

I am not sure how clear this is, mostly because I am not so clear on it myself. Anyone relate?
 
DON'T DO THIS FOR MONEY, DO IT BECAUSE YOU WANT TO HELP THE SICK(of course, the money will come as the by product), just my 2 cents. Take a good vacation before the L O N G P R O C E SS ahead of you. Good Luck.
 
I had six years off between high school and college (long story), so by the time I got started on premed I was sure of what I was doing. But now that I'm accepted and enjoying the very, very lazy spring and summertime before school starts, every once in a while my husband will say something hilarious while we're curled up on the couch and I'll look over at him and think, am I really going to go to school, go through residency, and go into a more-than-full-time career that will take me away from this? For me, the answer is, doing this is part of who I am and the person he loves, and I know we'll be happy together for a long time even when we're both crazy busy. This intensity of living, in my opinion, distills the quality moments we have with family and friends into even more precious treasures. That said, sheer exhaustion can bleach them into barely-remembered experiences we had a hard time staying awake through. So, I'm gonna try to get lots of sleep through this whole process. For the OP, I'd second the advice to start work on your personal statement as a reminder of your original motivation, and if you just can't bring yourself to apply, plan a year or two off to see the world, experience 'real life,' then decide if you want to jump back aboard the crazy train with the rest of us.
 
I think that any big life changing committment is going to cause you to be catious and even a little scared. Medical school is something that will change and define the remainder of your existance on this earth. In this regard, it is similar to committing to a marraige, having a child, or doing something like joining the army.

If you don't get cold feet or doubt things like these prior to the experience, something is wrong with you (or you are the most over-confident person ever). It is only natural to second guess your choices. The only way to deal with it is to use your head. You will be a better person for having gone to medical school, and you will be able to help more people than you ever thought possible.

My point is this--keep your head up and do things for the right reasons. You will be fine. I am the world's worst when it comes to stressing about the future, but it will take care of itself. Cerb (and everyone else with doubts on this thread), enjoy your time and don't obsess over the small stuff. Medical school is a risk, but it will have high returns. It's only natural to second guess decisions of such magnitude.
 
ad_sharp said:
I think that any big life changing committment is going to cause you to be catious and even a little scared. Medical school is something that will change and define the remainder of your existance on this earth. In this regard, it is similar to committing to a marraige, having a child, or doing something like joining the army.
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This is the problem I'm having right now. I've been accepted, and I'm realizing that pretty much the rest of my life is going to be dedicated to medicine (the next decade at the very least). I just got to a place in my life where I'm really happy with the way things are--I like my work, life is relatively low-stress, I'm doing a lot of activities that I enjoy, I have a good group of friends, etc. It's taken a long time to get to this place, and now I'm going to up-end it and go back to being stressed out, sleep-deprived and single-minded. It seems crazy.

I'm also a singer, things have been happening on that front that are making me toy with the idea of deferring a year. I don't want to look back in 15 or 20 years and wonder what I could have done with it. But it all seems so uncertain and up in the air. I really feel like I'm in the middle of a crisis. 🙁
 
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